458 Italia

Make
Ferrari
Segment
Coupe

Better known for their work on the likes of the Ferrari F40, 458 Italia and Maserati GranTurismo, the Italian design house Pininfarina have taken their design hats off and put their engineering nous to good use in creating the Hybus. To combat Turin's pollution problem, Pininfarina, in collaboration with Turinese transport group GTT and battery maker FAAM, were inspired to develop this hybrid diesel-electric bus, recently unveiled at a Milanese transport exhibition.

The prototype unveiled is a converted 17-year-old Iveco bus fitted with a 1.3-liter Multi-jet diesel power unit that's coupled to an electric generator that provides energy to the main lithium-ion battery pack. Two Magnet Marelli electric motors mated to a collector-reduction gearbox power the Hybus, which was developed at Pininfarina's Design and Engineering Center. The styling company estimates that retrofitting old buses to run with its new hybrid technology will be around 60% cheaper than investing in new hybrid vehicles.

Pininfarina announced earlier this month that it will be ending the car body building section of its business, but will continue its design and engineering services whilst focusing some of its resources on hybrid and electric mobility.